Developer Techland did not get off to a good start with Call of Juarez: The Cartel. First, they confused fans by announcing that the series that was best known for its Old West atmosphere was going modern. Then the ciudad of Juarez, from which the series takes its name, attempted to ban the game - certainly not something you want to hear after just announcing your title.

As a result, Ubisoft and Techland knew they had an uphill battle ahead of them, one where they were going to have to prove, without a doubt, that the third game carries the same spirit of the first two. Luckily, the first trailer for the game, more or less, does the trick.

One of the signature elements, aside from the historical settings, of the Call of Juarez series has been its use of multiple characters through which to tell the story and, as the trailer shows, The Cartel is no different.

Kim Evans, Eddie Guerra, and Ray McCall are the three characters seen in the trailer and, one can assume, are the characters that players will switch between as the action-packed story of bringing down the largest drug cartel in Mexico plays out.

Of the three, fans of the series will connect with McCall the most, as he is a direct ancestor of Thomas and Ray, the protagonists and antagonists of the first two games. Much like his predecessors, McCall has a tough as nails attitude and a suitably western outfit to boot, think of him like Red Dead Redemption's John Marston, only with an iPhone.

Here is your first look at Call of Juarez: The Cartel:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv_GiEMv1Cw

What is most compelling about this trailer is how the narrator, assumed to be McCall, compares the drug wars of Mexico to the Old West -- the landscape that is now riddled with drug cartels is, in essence, “The Old West Revisited.” Sure, the game will have plenty of contemporary elements thrown in, but if the general idea is in the right place, that’s a great start. Now if only Ubisoft could show off some actual gameplay.

Disregarding Juarez’s call to ban the game, what are your feelings about Call of Juarez: The Cartel after seeing this trailer? Do you think it demonstrates a logical evolution for the series?

Source: CVG